


The Revolution Will Be Filmed

by Nyxierose



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-27
Updated: 2013-03-04
Packaged: 2017-12-03 18:14:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/701192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyxierose/pseuds/Nyxierose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the summer after the Amis' sophomore year of college and Eponine's determined to film everything that happens. Chaos ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

The summer after their sophomore year of college is supposed to be a good one. Supposed to be, as in everyone has a job or an internship or a service project to keep them occupied and maybe this time no one will call the cops on any of them. Because that worked so well last year - when the highlight of a particular week is a particular person getting pulled over twice in said week for breaking multiple traffic laws each time, it's safe to say that things aren't going well. But that's not going to happen this year. This year, things are going to be okay. Or at least that's the plan until Eponine gets a video camera two days into break and it all goes to hell.

She's threatened to make a documentary for years, since before the group all collided during their first semester of college. Marius and Cosette, who she's known for ages, can remember this threat from their freshman year of high school. But, after the third time everyone heard that particular plan, they all ruled it out. Except now it's happened. Now she's turned up at the first meeting of the summer with something unfamiliar attached to her hand and there is no way this will be pretty.

Oddly enough, Grantaire is the first to notice the offending piece of technology. "What's 'at?" he asks, and if his voice isn't loud enough to get everyone's attention (which it is), his dramatic flailing towards the only 'official' female member of the group gets the necessary reaction.

In quick succession, Eponine's fielding questions from ten curious guys - her pack, yes, but good grief do they have to be so loud? She can barely hear herself think, let alone make out which of them is saying what. "Okay, okay!" she yells after a few moments of chaos. Being the center of attention, she decides, is overrated. "Yes. I have a camera. Because you lot crossed enough lines last term, I'm going to be filming things. And, if it turns out good…"

"Please tell me you're not actually thinking of doing something with the footage," Enjolras mutters, shaking his head. Last time he checked, that was about the only public relations disaster their group hasn't suffered, and there's no way he's letting Eponine Thénardier of all people check off that box. "Please. Just don't."

"But what would be the point of filming you guys if I wasn't going to do anything with it?" Eponine laughed. "C'mon. We're only young once, and if nothing else, this is going to be hilarious in twenty years when we all have kids or whatever." Never mind that a solid half of them never plan to reproduce - if her own family's any indication, intention's rarely a part of that sort of thing.  "And _maybe_ there are competitions for this sort of thing, and _maybe_ it'd get us the right kind of attention."

By now, nearly everyone in the room is in some state of frustration. Combeferre walks over and puts his hand on her shoulder, hoping she won't hit him for it like she did last time someone touched her without warning. (She doesn't, because she has better things to think about than what the harmless one might do.) "Ep, I get that you're trying, but is this really a good idea?"

She laughs again, still convinced of her plan. "Of course it is. I mean… c'mon. We haven't ended up on the TV news _yet_ , and a documentary might be just the thing to get people to take us seriously." Or not. It's probably not a good sign that the only documentary she's ever seen is that one about food production that made her give up meat for nearly a month, but if that was effective, then this can be just as good.

Unfortunately, she gets misinterpreted even sooner than expected. "Sounds like a challenge to me," Grantaire suggests. He's got that dangerous look in his eyes, like he's already planning something - and there are more than a few bad ideas in his mind, just waiting to play. "If the Amis get media attention this summer, nobody else gets to see Ep's film. If we don't, she can do what she wants with it. Everyone agreed?" Nine heads nod in unison. "Fabulous."

"And we need a few ground rules," Enjolras adds, though at this point he knows Eponine's not going to listen to him because it's not like she ever listens to him in the first place. That's why most of the Amis put up with her, but sometimes it's the most annoying possible trait. "How about… don't film anything illegal."

"That's not a ground rule," Eponine counters. "That's a given. Otherwise, I'm filming what I want, and you lot are going to have to outdo yourselves if you want to win this bet. Understood?"

Challenge accepted.


	2. A Deal With The Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Courfeyrac has a brilliant idea and Eponine is a little too honest.

Out of the entire group, Courfeyrac is the most okay with the documentary project, and it doesn't take Eponine very long to figure out that ulterior motives are involved. There's always some scheme or another going on - in theory, the Amis are a social activist group, but they function a bit more like the Mafia as far as Ep's concerned. If it looks innocent, it's probably anything but, and when Courfeyrac corners her after the meeting, she knows she's in for something she doesn't really want to deal with. "What do you _want_?" she growls, not even giving him a chance to pretend otherwise.

"Just a little favor," he replies, giving her one of those stupid smiles that charm everyone else but for some reason just don't work on her. "Remember that bet we have going about The Inevitable? I need you to help me win and I need you to film it for future reference."

Eponine rolls her eyes, questioning once again how such intelligent young men can be so stupid sometimes. Bad enough that there even _is_ a betting pool on when a certain duo will come together; even worse that she's apparently getting pulled into it. "Fuck no," she snaps, and there's a devious glimmer in her eyes as she speaks. "Not my problem, remember?"

"Yeah, not _yours_ , but only because you're the only one of us who can't smell the sexual tension between them."

"That's where you're wrong, idiot. I know exactly what's going on. I just don't care to play fairy godmother for those two, understand?"

"Come on, you know you want it to happen. It'd make things so much easier."

"I never said I didn't want it," she laughs. "I just don't want to get involved. I mean… in case you haven't noticed, they're the two most volatile of our group. If it goes down in flames, I am not taking the blame."

"But could you at least help me? It'd look like my brilliant idea, but a little assistance, maybe?" By now, Courfeyrac's moved onto puppy-dog eyes - another trick that's never quite worked on his friend, but it won't hurt him to try. "Please? The footage would be really good for your movie…"

" _No_ ," Eponine growls. "There is one person I would do that for, and no offense, but you're not them."

The light in his eyes matches hers now - a plan is in the works. Like most of Courfeyrac's plans, it's probably doomed, but that has never stopped him from trying before and it won't stop him this time either. "So if I got the rest of the guys to bug you, you'd say yes to one of them?"

She glances away, pretending to think about his offer. On the one hand, she probably would cave in after a while just to get them all to shut up, but on the other, she's not getting involved in yet another half-assed scheme. Not _this_ one, anyways. "No. Not even if the right one asked me."

"Ooooh, Eppy's got a crush," Courfeyrac coos, storing the information away for future reference.

"Call me that again and you're not allowed to babysit my brother this summer."

"He's thirteen, he doesn't even _need_ babysitting anymore."

Eponine responds with an expression of shock that's far more genuine than she hopes he'll understand. "Have you been anywhere near Gav lately? He's even dumber than you are, and I thought that wasn't possible until it happened."

Courfeyrac returns to playing the innocent, but his heart isn't in it anymore. He's doomed, he's sure of it. "Ep, please. Help me out and I won't tell anyone you're in looove, okay?"

"I'm not in love," she mutters, shaking her head. "I know better, remember?"

As if she even needs to remind him. After all, he was the one responsible for the brilliant plan to get rid of her last boyfriend - a plan, he would like to note, that worked spectacularly. "Yeah. But how many of our gang will remember that if I tell them you want to fuck one of them and I'm not sure which one?"

Out of desperation, she hits him, a solid slap to the face. "Don't even."

"Do we have a deal?"

"Fine," she growls. "I will _help_. I will film. But if this goes to pieces, as I'm pretty sure it will, it's your ass on the line. Clear?"

"Crystal."

And hell, if he gets to play matchmaker for her as well, it'll be two birds with one stone. As far as Courfeyrac's concerned, this is the best idea _ever_. Now he just needs to figure out what he's doing…


	3. Breaking Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Combeferre comes to terms with his feelings and Eponine is only SLIGHTLY detrimental.

They have a routine. They have had a routine for nearly two years now, and it's not something they've ever discussed. It's simply something they do. After every meeting and nearly all the group's less formal gatherings, Combeferre drives Eponine home and invites himself in for a few hours. The first couple of times, he asked permission, and sometimes he still does because it's the proper thing to do, but they're past that stage. Her apartment is tiny, two smallish rooms and a bathroom the size of an average walk-in closet, but it's quiet and the best hideaway ever. He likes the rest of the guys well enough, but officially living with three of them and unofficially living with _all_ of them is nothing if not chaotic and sometimes an escape is necessary. Hence these little rituals.

They don't talk during the ten minutes it takes to get from the café to her building - another of their unspoken rules, though this is more to avoid distractions and less to make things less awkward. Combeferre is one of the better drivers of their group, but there's just something about driving in the dark and having an involved conversation with Ep that leads to him running over small animals. It's better not to deal with that, so they're quiet. If she's too cold and wants to turn down the air conditioning, as she often does, she reaches over and plays with it without asking. Sometimes she turns on the radio, humming along with the latest pop song that she knows he can't stand, but tonight is complete silence - perfectly them.

There are no delusions that their arrangement is anything it's not. When he parks in the space marked with her number - usually used as guest parking because she can't be bothered to get a car - he doesn't walk around and get her door, even though he'd like to. She's made it perfectly clear that she can take care of herself, and he puts up with the little quirks that come along with that tendency. He still holds the building door open for her, but by then she's already groping around in her purse for her keys and doesn't have a spare hand to do it herself. Otherwise, there are no formalities.

Her apartment is on the second floor - they always take the stairs - and she unlocks and opens the door and flips on the light in a fluid motion he knows better than to comment on. Still silent, she drops her purse on the counter - the camera bag follows, though its placement is more careful - and starts making tea. It's perhaps the strangest part of the routine, an unnecessary show of domesticity from a girl who can barely heat up TV dinners without burning them, but she tries. In her mind, there's no reason for that boy to waste his time on her like he does, and so she compensates as she can.

"You alright?" he asks, standing a safe couple of steps away. "You didn't seem okay after the meeting… I heard you hissing at Courf, but I'm pretty sure that's how you two show your love…"

"Shut up 'Ferre," Eponine laughs, smiling genuinely for the first time that day. "He was trying to blackmail me, same as always. I swear he thinks he's a spymaster sometimes, and it'd be scary if he wasn't so… him. He's like a Chihuahua who thinks he's a Great Dane, y'know?"

Combeferre nods - it's the best description of his friend that he's heard in a long while, even if the other man wouldn't be so thrilled if it got back to him. "What's his brilliant idea this time?"

"He wants me to help him push The Inevitable," she replies, dropping tea bags into mugs of hot water. "As if I'd ever. Seriously, short of locking those two in a closet, nothing's going to get them to admit what everyone else has known from the moment they saw each other."

"And what's he got on you this time?"

"Nothing," she says a little too quickly, and he swears he can see her blush in the half-light. "It doesn't concern you."

She knows, of course, that being told such a thing will only encourage him. She knows this because this is how wars get started and vendettas get finalized, and Combeferre is brilliant at both of those if he has the slightest thought that she's in trouble. It's oddly endearing, those displays of affection, but she wishes he'd just hurry up and make out with her already instead of making her guess. Really, it's been a year and a half - she can understand caution, but this is just absurd.

"Please tell me you're not dating another weirdo," he mutters. In his experience, Eponine has a unique ability to find any male who could be considered less stable than anyone in their pack ridiculously attractive. Last time he checked, she'd dated every age-appropriate nut in central Ohio, and he wouldn't be surprised if a few more are still in the queue. He takes a few steps forward, close enough to touch her now. "We don't need that, Ep. _I_ don't need that."

"It wouldn't be a problem if you'd stop trying to keep me away from them," she counters, shrugging her shoulders as she turns towards him. "But, for the record, I'm not. The only person I'm interested in is… not really the usual type."

For a moment, he can almost glimpse reciprocity, but his hopes are dashed when she refuses to say any more on the subject. Damn his inability to admit his feelings. "That's good. Different would be good for you."

"It would be," she replies, and there's an oddly flirtatious tone in her voice now. "And for you as well, if you'd let it."

She knows, he's sure of it now. She knows and he is utterly screwed. "Ep, I…"

"Don't waste your breath," she snaps, cutting him off. "Guys like you don't like girls like me. I'm not stupid enough to believe otherwise." There's a hint of tears in her eyes, and she blinks rapidly, forcing them back. "You can't even say you think I'm pretty."

He reaches out to her, enfolding her in his arms because he has to do _something_ and heaven knows he's terrible with words at times like these. He's not especially tall, but she's tiny and fits perfectly with her face nestled against his shoulder. One of his hands stays on her waist; the other wanders up to play with her hair, currently kept back in a ponytail. "I want to," he whispers, hoping she can't hear him. "I just don't know how to properly love someone like you."

As if on cue, her head snaps back and her murky brown eyes find his clear blue ones. "You want to love me?" She says the words like they're in a foreign language, and perhaps they are. "That's… a start, I guess. For you."

"No," he replies, and he has no clue what he's doing but it feels amazing despite also being the scariest thing ever. "I _do_ love you."

"Then fucking kiss me already," she mutters, and he does. _Finally_.


End file.
